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Online learning is spreading quickly in U.S. schools, with 27 percent of high school students saying they were enrolled in at least one online course in 2009, nearly double the 14 percent enrolled in 2008, according a newly released update to a 2007 study.

Further, online learning appears to run in the family, according to the report released by Blackboard K-12 and Project Tomorrow at the ISTE 2010 ed-tech conference Tuesday morning. Students with a parent who had taken an online course were twice as likely to take or explore taking their own virtual course. And more parents than ever—33 percent—reported having enrolled in an online course for work or pleasure.

“I think that that’s just a little piece of something bigger that’s going on,” said Jessie Woolley-Wilson, Blackboard K-12 president, who suggested that parents’ interest could be sparked by students’ online courses. “The archetypes … are changing. Teachers are students. Students are teachers. And so our notion of a linear learning curve that is completely dictated by your age and by your grade and all this stuff, it all blows up.”

But while students, parents, teachers and administrators all appear to be more open to online learning, the infrastructure to accommodate that demand is still evolving—and at this point still falling short, the survey finds.

For the rest of the article, go to Tracking E-Learning Growth

Arizona State University has expanded its online degree and certification programs for PK-12 teachers, including the addition of a new credential for online teaching. Tuition will be the same whether the student is in state or out of state.

Beginning with the fall 2010 semester, six new programs in the education area will be available completely online. Arizona preschool and kindergarten teachers will also have the opportunity to fulfill their early childhood education certification requirement online in order to meet a state department of education July 2012 deadline.

“We have expanded opportunities for elementary and secondary teachers with our online programs,” said Mari Koerner, dean of ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. “Teachers deserve the same exceptional learning experiences that they give their students each day. Our programs make that opportunity realistic and affordable for teachers, whatever the time of day or wherever they call home.”

For the rest of the article, go to Arizona State Launching Online Credential for Online Teaching

At least three large urban school districts—New York City, Chicago, and Boston—have recently rolled out or soon will roll out programs for online credit recovery. That means that students who have failed courses in high school can earn credits for those courses by making them up through online coursework. District policies vary in whether the students take the classes at an actual school or can do the coursework at home or in another setting.

Sales in the credit-recovery line of courses created by the Anthem, Ariz.-based Aventa Learning, one of several companies or nonprofit organizations typically tapped by schools to provide online courses, increased eightfold from 2008 to 2010, according to Gregg Levin, the vice president of sales for the company.

For the rest of the article, go to Districts Embracing Online Credit-Recovery Options

K12 Inc. and Lawrence Public Schools launched a new virtual high school program serving Kansas students in grades 9 and 10.

Building on a partnership formed in 2004 with the creation of Lawrence Virtual School for kindergarten through eighth-grade students, the Lawrence Virtual High School offers a combination of online and hands-on lessons with state-certified teachers as well as access to extracurricular activities and outings.

For the rest of the article, go to Kansas District Expands Virtual Learning Beyond Middle School

A group of enterprising Internet educators have been waiting a year to give Georgia public school students and teachers the state’s first virtual K-12 experience – the chance to work and learn from home in their slippers full-time. Friday, they get an answer.

The Georgia Charter Schools Commission months ago delayed a vote on petitions for five new cyber campuses so that board members could investigate the idea and its impact on public school funding. The questions: Can virtual charters serve students well? How do you make the schools accountable for students they may never see in person? Are costs to provide kids with home computers and Internet connections comparable to providing them with traditional classrooms?

“We don’t really have a benchmark,” said Mark Peevy, the commission’s executive director. “We were working hard to establish what we hope is the right funding level to make it worthwhile for these schools to operate while balancing taxpayer dollars. We need to make sure we are not building in a profit-base unnecessarily.”

After researching the rise of virtual charter schools nationally and talking money with the staff of Gov. Sonny Perdue, the commissioner on Friday will announce which schools the state will approve.

The State Department of Education has already recommended the approval of two of five proposed statewide virtual charter schools — Kaplan Academy of Georgia and Provost Academy Georgia — but more charters could be granted.

For the rest of the article, go to Pajamas uniform of choice: Virtual schools first to offer K-12 education

Her own school district, San Jose’s East Side Union, canceled most summer school for lack of money.

Welcome to the summer of the California budget crisis. Normally, tens of thousands of valley students would be beginning summer classes in their home districts now. But those courses — whether meant for students who want to get ahead, catch up, or take enrichment classes in arts, music or science — have become another casualty of the state’s education funding crisis. When the state granted them budget flexibility, most districts siphoned money earmarked for summer school to help keep their educational ships afloat during the regular school year.

The result: Many students have been scrambling to find alternatives from community colleges and a confusing array of private course providers. “One program charged $900,” said Vanessajoie, 16. “I don’t have that kind of money.”

The cancellation has left many students fearing they’ll be less competitive in college applications or will lack the credits to graduate.

“We would have to suspect that it would have an effect both on the dropout rate and academic performance,” said Terry Peluso of the Campbell Union High School District, which canceled summer school except for some special education students and for seniors needing to make up work.

Likewise, San Jose Unified has about 675 high school students enrolled this summer, most trying to make up credits. Last year, the district canceled most of its summer school at the last minute, when the state declared it would not reimburse districts. This year, San Jose Unified is referring other students to its approved online courses, offered by third parties such as K12.com, Brigham Young University and the Fresno County Office of Education. The costs range from $150 to $350 per online semester course, summer school Principal Dane Caldwell-Holden said.

For the rest of the article, go to Summer school classes vanishing as South Bay students scramble for options

During a board meeting, Zachary Barnes, the director of graduation success and dropout prevention for the school system, and Robert Coates, director of secondary education, spoke to the board about Bridgewater Academy, a fully accredited online school that allows students to have access course studies 24 hours a day.

As a credit recovery program, Bridgewater Academy makes earning course credits as simple as logging onto a website.

Barnes said that Bridgewater will not replace other programs the system uses for credit recovery, like Plato Learning.

For the rest of the article, go to City school board approves online academic program

Graduation took place at 7pm Thursday evening at the West Shore Evangelical Church and Conference Center in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  Approximately 150 of the graduating seniors from around the state attended donning cap and gown.

K12 Inc. Founder and CEO Ron Packard delivered this year’s keynote address to the largest class of students Agora has graduated thus far. K12, the nation’s largest provider of online school programs for students in kindergarten through high school, provides its high quality curriculum and school services to the Agora Cyber Charter School.

The valedictorian speech was presented by Darian Kiger, who will attend York College to major in professional writing with a minor in music.  Ms. Kiger was awarded the presidential award scholarship and the dean academic scholarship from York College as well as the shining star scholarship from Agora Cyber Charter School.

“My online studies through Agora enabled me to learn at a pace that was just right,” said class Valedictorian Darian Kiger.  ”The internet is the future of schooling.  My classmates and I are proud to be pioneers of such an outstanding and innovative educational program.”

For the rest of the article, go to Agora Cyber Charter School Graduates Largest Senior Class.